[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 146 (Wednesday, October 14, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H10841-H10844]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              CANYON FERRY RESERVOIR LEASEHOLD CONVEYANCE

  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3963) to establish terms and conditions under which the 
Secretary of the Interior shall convey leaseholds in certain properties 
around Canyon Ferry Reservoir, Montana, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 3963

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that the conveyance of the properties 
     described in section 4(b) to the lessees of those properties 
     for fair market value would have the beneficial results of--
       (1) reducing Pick-Sloan project debt for the Canyon Ferry 
     Unit;
       (2) providing a permanent source of funding to acquire 
     publicly accessible land and interests in land, including 
     easements and conservation easements, in the State from 
     willing sellers at fair market value to--
       (A) restore and conserve fisheries habitat, including 
     riparian habitat;
       (B) restore and conserve wildlife habitat;
       (C) enhance public hunting, fishing, and recreational 
     opportunities; and
       (D) improve public access to public land;
       (3) eliminating Federal payments in lieu of taxes and 
     associated management expenditures in connection with the 
     Federal Government's ownership of the properties while 
     increasing local tax revenues from the new owners; and
       (4) eliminating expensive and contentious disputes between 
     the Secretary and leaseholders while ensuring that the 
     Federal Government receives full and fair value for the 
     properties.

     SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

       The purposes of this Act are to--
       (1) establish terms and conditions under which the 
     Secretary of the Interior shall, for fair market value, 
     convey certain properties around Canyon Ferry Reservoir, 
     Montana, to private parties; and
       (2) acquire certain land for fish and wildlife conservation 
     purposes.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Canyon ferry-broadwater county trust.--The term 
     ``Canyon Ferry-Broadwater County Trust'' means the Canyon 
     Ferry-Broadwater County Trust established under section 8.
       (2) CFRA.--The term ``CFRA'' means the Canyon Ferry 
     Recreation Association, Incorporated, a Montana corporation.
       (3) Commissioners.--The term ``Commissioners'' means the 
     Board of Commissioners for Broadwater County, Montana.
       (4) Lease.--The term ``lease'' means a lease or permit in 
     effect on the date of enactment of this Act that gives a 
     leaseholder the right to occupy a property.
       (5) Lessee.--The term ``lessee'' means--
       (A) the leaseholder of 1 of the properties on the date of 
     enactment of this Act; and
       (B) the leaseholder's heirs, executors, and assigns of the 
     leasehold interest in the property.
       (6) Montana fish and wildlife conservation trust.--The term 
     ``Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust'' means the 
     Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust established 
     under section 7.
       (7) Project.--The term ``project'' means the Canyon Ferry 
     Unit of the Pick-Sloan Missouri River Basin Project.
       (8) Property.--
       (A) In general.--The term ``property'' means 1 of the cabin 
     sites described in section 4(b).
       (B) Use in the plural.--The term ``properties'' means all 
     265 of the properties and any contiguous parcels referred to 
     in section 4(b)(1)(B).
       (9) Purchaser.--The term ``purchaser'' means a person or 
     entity, excluding CFRA or a lessee, that purchases the 
     properties under section 4.
       (10) Reservoir.--The term ``Reservoir'' means the Canyon 
     Ferry Reservoir, Montana.
       (11) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.
       (12) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of Montana.

     SEC. 4. SALE OF PROPERTIES.

       (a) In General.--Consistent with the Act of June 17, 1902 
     (32 Stat. 388, chapter 1093) and Acts supplemental to and 
     amendatory of that Act (43 U.S.C. 371 et seq.), the Secretary 
     shall convey to CFRA or a purchaser--
       (1) all right, title, and interest (except the mineral 
     estate) of the United States in and to the properties, 
     subject to valid existing rights and the operational 
     requirements of the Pick-Sloan Missouri River Basin Program; 
     and
       (2) perpetual easements for--
       (A) vehicular access to each property;
       (B) access to and use of 1 dock per property; and
       (C) access to and use of all boathouses, ramps, retaining 
     walls, and other improvements for which access is provided in 
     the leases as of the date of enactment of this Act.
       (b) Description of Properties.--
       (1) In general.--The properties to be conveyed are--
       (A) the 265 cabin sites of the Bureau of Reclamation 
     located along the northern end of the Reservoir in portions 
     of sections 2, 11, 12, 13, 15, 22, 23, and 26, Township 10 
     North, Range 1 West; and
       (B) any small parcel contiguous to any property (not 
     including shoreline or land needed to provide public access 
     to the shoreline of the Reservoir) that the Secretary 
     determines should be conveyed in order to eliminate an 
     inholding and facilitate administration of surrounding land 
     remaining in Federal ownership.
       (2) Acreage; legal description.--The acreage and legal 
     description of each property and of each parcel shall be 
     determined by the Secretary in consultation with CFRA.
       (3) Restrictive use covenant.--
       (A) In general.--In order to maintain the unique character 
     of the Reservoir area, the Secretary, the purchaser, CFRA, 
     and each subsequent owner of each property shall covenant 
     that the use restrictions to carry out subparagraphs (B) and 
     (C) shall--
       (i) be appurtenant to, and run, with each property; and
       (ii) be binding on each subsequent owner of each property.
       (B) Access to reservoir.--
       (i) In general.--The Secretary, the purchaser, CFRA, and 
     the subsequent owners of each property shall ensure that--

       (I) public access to and along the shoreline of the 
     Reservoir in existence on the date of enactment of this Act 
     is not obstructed; and
       (II) adequate public access to and along the shoreline of 
     the Reservoir is maintained.

       (ii) Federal reclamation law.--

       (I) In general.--No conveyance of property under this Act 
     shall restrict or limit the authority or ability of the 
     Secretary to fulfill the duties of the Secretary under the 
     Act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. 388, chapter 1093), and Acts 
     supplemental to and amendatory of that Act (43 U.S.C. 371 et 
     seq.).
       (II) No liability.--The operation of the Reservoir by the 
     Secretary in fulfillment of the duties described in subclause 
     (I) shall not result in liability for damages, direct or 
     indirect, to the owner of any property conveyed under section 
     4(a) or damages from any loss of use or enjoyment of the 
     property.

       (C) Historical use.--The Secretary, the purchaser, CFRA, 
     and each subsequent owner of each property shall covenant 
     that future uses of the property shall be limited to the type 
     and intensity of uses in existence on the date of enactment 
     of this Act, as limited by the prohibitions contained in the 
     annual operating plan of the Bureau of Reclamation for the 
     Reservoir in effect on October 1, 1998.
       (c) Purchase Process.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary shall--
       (A) solicit sealed bids for the properties;
       (B) subject to paragraph (2), sell the properties to the 
     bidder that submits the highest bid above the minimum bid 
     determined under paragraph (2); and
       (C) not accept any bid for less than all of the properties 
     in 1 transaction.
       (2) Minimum bid.--
       (A) In general.--Before accepting bids, the Secretary shall 
     establish a minimum bid, which shall be equal to the fair 
     market value of the properties determined by an appraisal of 
     each property, exclusive of the value of private improvements 
     made by the leaseholders before the date of the conveyance, 
     in conformance with the Uniform Appraisal Standards for 
     Federal Land Acquistion.
       (B) Fair market value.--Any dispute over the fair market 
     value of a property under subparagraph (A) shall be resolved 
     in accordance with section 2201.4 of title 43, Code of 
     Federal Regulations.
       (3) Right of first refusal.--If the highest bidder is other 
     than CFRA, CFRA shall have the right to match the highest bid 
     and purchase the properties at a price equal to the amount of 
     the highest bid.
       (d) Terms of Conveyance.--
       (1) Purchaser.--If the highest bidder is other than CFRA, 
     and CFRA does not match the highest bid, the following shall 
     apply:
       (A) Payment.--The purchaser shall pay the amount bid to the 
     Secretary for distribution in accordance with section 6.
       (B) Conveyance.--The Secretary shall convey the properties 
     to the purchaser.
       (C) Option to purchase.--The purchaser shall give each 
     lessee of a property conveyed under this section an option to 
     purchase the property at fair market value, as determined 
     under subsection (c)(2).
       (D) Nonpurchasing lessees.--
       (i) Right to continue lease.--A lessee that is unable or 
     unwilling to purchase a

[[Page H10842]]

     property shall be provided the opportunity to continue to 
     lease the property for fair market value rent under the same 
     terms and conditions as apply under the existing lease for 
     the property, and shall have the right to renew the term of 
     the existing lease for 2 consecutive 5-year terms.
       (ii) Compensation for improvements.--If a lessee declines 
     to purchase a property, the purchaser shall compensate the 
     lessee for the fair market value, as determined pursuant to 
     customary appraisal procedures, of all improvements made to 
     the property by the lessee. The lessee may sell the 
     improvements to the purchaser at any time, but the sale shall 
     be completed by the final termination of the lease, after all 
     renewals under clause (i).
       (2) CFRA.--If CFRA is the highest bidder, or matches the 
     highest bid, the following shall apply:
       (A) Closing.--On receipt of a purchase request from a 
     lessee or CFRA, the Secretary shall close on the property and 
     prepare all other properties for closing within 45 days.
       (B) Payment.--At the closing for a property--
       (i) the lessee or CFRA shall deliver to the Secretary 
     payment for the property, which the Secretary shall 
     distribute in accordance with section 6; and
       (ii) the Secretary shall convey the property to the lessee 
     or CFRA.
       (C) Appraisal.--The Secretary shall determine the purchase 
     amount of each property based on the appraisal conducted 
     under subsection (c)(2), the amount of the bid under 
     subsection (c)(1), and the proportionate share of 
     administrative costs pursuant to subsection (e). The total 
     purchase amount for all properties shall equal the total bid 
     amount plus administrative costs under subsection (e).
       (D) Timing.--CFRA and the lessees shall purchase at least 
     75 percent of the properties not later than August 1 of the 
     year that begins at least 12 months after title to the first 
     property is conveyed by the Secretary to a lessee.
       (E) Right to renew.--The Secretary shall afford the lessees 
     who have not purchased properties under this section the 
     right to renew the term of the existing lease for 2 (but not 
     more than 2) consecutive 5-year terms.
       (F) Reimbursement.--A lessee shall reimburse CFRA for a 
     proportionate share of the costs to CFRA of completing the 
     transactions contemplated by this Act, including any interest 
     charges.
       (G) Rental payments.--All rent received from the leases 
     shall be distributed by the Secretary in accordance with 
     section 6.
       (e) Administrative Costs.--Any reasonable administrative 
     costs incurred by the Secretary, including the costs of 
     survey and appraisals, incident to the conveyance under 
     subsection (a) shall be reimbursed by the purchaser or CFRA.
       (f) Timing.--The Secretary shall make every effort to 
     complete the conveyance under subsection (a) not later than 1 
     year after the satisfaction of the condition established by 
     section 8(b).
       (g) Closings.--Real estate closings to complete the 
     conveyance under subsection (a) may be staggered to 
     facilitate the conveyance as agreed to by the Secretary and 
     the purchaser or CFRA.
       (h) Conveyance to Lessee.--If a lessee purchases a property 
     from the purchaser or CFRA, the Secretary, at the request of 
     the lessee, shall have the conveyance documents prepared in 
     the name or names of the lessee so as to minimize the amount 
     of time and number of documents required to complete the 
     closing for the property.

     SEC. 5. AGREEMENT.

       (a) Management of Silo's Campground.--Not later than 180 
     days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, 
     acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, shall--
       (1) offer to contract with the Commissioners to manage the 
     Silo's campground;
       (2) enter into such a contract if agreed to by the 
     Secretary and the Commissioners; and
       (3) grant necessary easements for access roads within and 
     adjacent to the Silo's campground.
       (b) Concession Income.--Any income generated by any 
     concession that may be granted by the Commissioners at the 
     Silo's recreation area--
       (1) shall be deposited in the Canyon Ferry-Broadwater 
     County Trust; and
       (2) may be disbursed by the Canyon Ferry-Broadwater County 
     Trust manager as part of the income of the Trust.

     SEC. 6. USE OF PROCEEDS.

       Notwithstanding any other provision of law, proceeds of 
     conveyances under this Act shall be available, without 
     further Act of appropriation, as follows:
       (1) 10 percent of the proceeds shall be applied by the 
     Secretary of the Treasury to reduce the outstanding debt for 
     the Pick-Sloan project at the Reservoir.
       (2) 90 percent of the proceeds shall be deposited in the 
     Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust.

     SEC. 7. MONTANA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION TRUST.

       (a) Establishment.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
     State congressional delegation and the Governor of the State, 
     shall establish a nonprofit charitable permanent perpetual 
     public trust in the State, to be known as the ``Montana Fish 
     and Wildlife Conservation Trust'' (referred to in this 
     section as the ``Trust'').
       (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Trust shall be to provide 
     a permanent source of funding to acquire publicly accessible 
     land and interests in land, including easements and 
     conservation easements, in the State from willing sellers at 
     fair market value to--
       (1) restore and conserve fisheries habitat, including 
     riparian habitat;
       (2) restore and conserve wildlife habitat;
       (3) enhance public hunting, fishing, and recreational 
     opportunities; and
       (4) improve public access to public land.
       (c) Administration.--
       (1) Trust manager.--The Trust shall be managed by a trust 
     manager, who--
       (A) shall be responsible for investing the corpus of the 
     Trust; and
       (B) shall disburse funds from the Trust on receiving a 
     request for disbursement from a majority of the members of 
     the Joint State-Federal Agency Board established under 
     paragraph (2) and after determining, in consultation with the 
     Citizen Advisory Board established under paragraph (3) and 
     after consideration of any comments submitted by members of 
     the public, that the request meets the purpose of the Trust 
     under subsection (b) and the requirements of subsections (d) 
     and (e).
       (2) Joint state-federal agency board.--
       (A) Establishment.--There is established a Joint State-
     Federal agency Board, which shall consist of--
       (i) 1 Forest Service employee employed in the State 
     designated by the Forest Service;
       (ii) 1 Bureau of Land Management employee employed in the 
     State designated by the Bureau of Land Management;
       (iii) 1 Bureau of Reclamation employee employed in the 
     State designated by the Bureau of Reclamation;
       (iv) 1 United States Fish and Wildlife Service employee 
     employed in the State designated by the United States Fish 
     and Wildlife Service; and
       (v) 1 Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks 
     employee designated by the Department.
       (B) Requests for disbursement.--After consulting with the 
     Citizen Advisory Board established under paragraph (3) and 
     after consideration of the Trust plan prepared under 
     paragraph (3)(C) and of any comments or requests submitted by 
     members of the public, the Joint State-Federal Agency Board, 
     by a vote of a majority of its members, may submit to the 
     Trust Manager a request for disbursement if the Board 
     determines that the request meets the purpose of the Trust.
       (3) Citizen advisory board.--
       (A) In general.--The Secretary shall nominate, and the 
     Joint State-Federal Agency Board shall approve by a majority 
     vote, a Citizen Advisory Board.
       (B) Membership.--The Citizen Advisory Board shall consist 
     of 4 members, including 1 with a demonstrated commitment to 
     improving public access to public land and to fish and 
     wildlife conservation, from each of--
       (i) a Montana organization representing agricultural 
     landowners;
       (ii) a Montana organization representing hunters;
       (iii) a Montana organization representing fishermen; and
       (iv) a Montana nonprofit land trust or environmental 
     organization.
       (C) Duties.--The Citizen Advisory Board, in consultation 
     with the Joint State-Federal Agency Board and the Montana 
     Association of Counties, shall prepare and periodically 
     update a Trust plan including recommendations for requests 
     for disbursement by the Joint State-Federal Agency Board.
       (D) Objectives of plan.--The Trust plan shall be designed 
     to maximize the effectiveness of Montana Fish and Wildlife 
     Conservation Trust expenditures considering--
       (i) public needs and requests;
       (ii) availability of property;
       (iii) alternative sources of funding; and
       (iv) availability of matching funds.
       (4) Public notice and comment.--Before requesting any 
     disbursements under paragraph (2), the Joint State-Federal 
     Agency Board shall--
       (A) notify members of the public, including local 
     governments; and
       (B) provide opportunity for public comment.
       (d) Use.--
       (1) Principal.--The principal of the Trust shall be 
     inviolate.
       (2) Earnings.--Earnings on amounts in the Trust shall be 
     used to carry out subsection (b) and to administer the Trust 
     and Citizen Advisory Board.
       (3) Local purposes.--Not more than 50 percent of the income 
     from the Trust in any year shall be used outside the 
     watershed of the Missouri River in the State, from Holter Dam 
     upstream to the confluence of the Jefferson River, Gallatin 
     River, and Madison River.
       (e) Management.--Land and interests in land acquired under 
     this section shall be managed for the purpose described in 
     subsection (b).

     SEC. 8. CANYON FERRY-BROADWATER COUNTY TRUST.

       (a) Establishment.--The Commissioners shall establish a 
     nonprofit charitable permanent perpetual public trust to be 
     known as the ``Canyon Ferry-Broadwater County Trust'' 
     (referred to in this section as the ``Trust'').
       (b) Priority of Trust Establishment.--
       (1) Condition to sale.--No sale of property under section 4 
     shall be made until at least $3,000,000, or a lesser amount 
     as offset by in-

[[Page H10843]]

     kind contributions made before full funding of the trust, is 
     deposited as the initial corpus of the Trust.
       (2) In-kind contributions.--
       (A) In general.--In-kind contributions--
       (i) shall be approved in advance by the Commissioners;
       (ii) shall be made in Broadwater County;
       (iii) shall be related to the improvement of access to the 
     portions of the Reservoir lying within Broadwater County or 
     to the creation and improvement of new and existing 
     recreational areas within Broadwater County; and
       (iv) shall not include any contribution made by Broadwater 
     County.
       (B) Approval.--Approval by the Commissioners of an in-kind 
     contribution under subparagraph (A) shall include approval of 
     the value, nature, and type of the contribution and of the 
     entity that makes the contribution.
       (3) Interest.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
     Act, all interest earned on the principal of the Trust shall 
     be reinvested and considered part of its corpus until the 
     condition stated in paragraph (1) is met.
       (c) Trust Management.--
       (1) Trust manager.--The Trust shall be managed by a 
     nonprofit foundation or other independent trustee to be 
     selected by the Commissioners.
       (2) Use.--The Trust manager shall invest the corpus of the 
     Trust and disburse funds as follows:
       (A) Principal.--A sum not to exceed $500,000 may be 
     expended from the corpus to pay for the planning and 
     construction of a harbor at the Silo's recreation area.
       (B) Interest.--The balance of the Trust shall be held and 
     the income shall be expended annually for the improvement of 
     access to the portions of the Reservoir lying within 
     Broadwater County, Montana, and for the creation and 
     improvement of new and existing recreational areas within 
     Broadwater County.
       (3) Disbursement.--The Trust manager--
       (A) shall approve or reject any request for disbursement; 
     and
       (B) shall not make any expenditure except on the 
     recommendation of the advisory committee established under 
     subsection (d).
       (d) Advisory Committee.--
       (1) Establishment.--The Commissioners shall appoint an 
     advisory committee consisting of not fewer than 3 nor more 
     than 5 persons.
       (2) Duties.--The advisory committee shall meet on a regular 
     basis to establish priorities and make requests for the 
     disbursement of funds to the Trust manager.
       (3) Approval by the commissioners.--The advisory committee 
     shall recommend only such expenditures as are approved by the 
     Commissioners.
       (e) No Offset.--Neither the corpus nor the income of the 
     Trust shall be used to reduce or replace the regular 
     operating expenses of the Secretary at the Reservoir, unless 
     approved by the Commissioners.

     SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to--
       (1) investigate, plan, construct, operate, and maintain 
     public recreational facilities on land withdrawn or acquired 
     for the development of the project;
       (2) conserve the scenery, the natural historic, 
     paleontologic, and archaeologic objects, and the wildlife on 
     the land;
       (3) provide for public use and enjoyment of the land and of 
     the water areas created by the project by such means as are 
     consistent with but subordinate to the purposes of the 
     project; and
       (4) investigate, plan, construct, operate, and maintain 
     facilities for the conservation of fish and wildlife 
     resources.
       (b) Costs.--The costs (including operation and maintenance 
     costs) of carrying out subsection (a) shall be 
     nonreimbursable and nonreturnable under Federal reclamation 
     law.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Miller) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen).
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3963 authored by the gentleman from Montana (Mr. 
Hill) would establish terms and conditions under which the Secretary of 
the Interior must convey fee title to leaseholders in certain 
properties around Canyon Ferry Reservoir in Montana. Canyon Ferry 
Reservoir is a man-made lake located in central Montana near Helena.
  The Bureau of Reclamation presently leases 265 cabin sites around the 
lake to local citizens. This section would direct the Secretary of 
Interior to sell these leaseholds at fair market value to a private 
interest. The sites would be sold at public auction. The present 
leaseholders would then have the opportunity to purchase title to the 
land.
  This bill is a compromise negotiated with the gentleman from Montana 
(Mr. Hill) and Senator Baucus of Montana and with the administration.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a very important bill, and I urge my colleagues 
to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  (Mr. MILLER of California asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 
3963. Here we are again, in the last days of the session, presented 
with a bill that has never cleared the Committee on Resources and 
violates the Budget Act and sets precedents on the use of and 
disposition of Federal resources.
  I understand why Senator Baucus and the gentleman from Montana (Mr. 
Hill) have been in discussions with the administration on this 
initiative, and he has a letter from OMB stating they will not object. 
That is worth considering, but I believe there are still serious 
problems with this legislation.
  First, the bill sets up a bidding process for these cabin sites, 
supposedly to get fair and open bids on the property. However, the bill 
then sets terms and conditions that rig the bid so that effectively 
there is only one bidder, that just happens to be the Canyon Ferry 
Recreation Association.
  Next the bill takes any funds received from these sales and sets up a 
fund for the Federal, state and local management board, trust funds for 
the resources. I guess some would argue why we have the board or do not 
have the board, but I think, more importantly, that this is the 
conveyance of public resources, ostensibly to private hands. And yet, 
at the same time, when we look at the process to receive fair market 
value, it really precludes others from bidding on these properties, 
because if any bidder is other than the Canyon Ferry Recreation 
Association, that purchaser then has to provide for an option to 
purchase to the lessees, the existing lessees, and also for those who 
decide they do not want to purchase, it has to provide them continuance 
of the lease.

                              {time}  1054

  Well, is highly unlikely that somebody who seeks to have one of these 
properties for their use and enjoyment would bid in that process and 
therefore, then by default, what we have is Canyon Ferry being really 
the only bidder in the process, and they also get the benefit in that 
situation of fully depreciating, excluding the value of the 
improvements on that property.
  However, under existing Federal law at the end of their lease, the 
value, if there are cabins or improvements, would revert to the Federal 
Government as it would in the private sector. If one makes improvements 
on lease property, generally those enure to the property owner.
  So, I think for those reasons that this legislation should undergo 
further consideration. I also think because of the fact that we have, 
scattered throughout the public lands in this country, hundreds of 
thousands of inholdings, lease holdings and all the rest, that we ought 
to make sure of what we are doing here, prior to setting a precedent on 
how we would convey those properties either to existing private owners 
or on a bid process, or whether in fact they should revert to the 
people of the United States.
  Mr. Speaker, reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Montana (Mr. Hill), the sponsor of this legislation.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) 
for yielding to me, and thank him for bringing this bill to the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, let me point out that what this bill will do is to 
authorize the sale of 240 cabin sites on Canyon Ferry Reservoir to 
people who currently have cabins that have been built on these sites. 
These are truly cabins. These are not houses. They are not high-value 
properties. These are simply recreational properties.
  But the management of this reservoir has been a matter of 
considerable dispute and controversy ever since the reservoir was 
originally constructed back in the late 1940s. What this bill attempts 
to do by selling these cabin sites to these cabin owners is to resolve 
an area that has been contentious and a long-standing matter of 
dispute.

[[Page H10844]]

  This bill has the support of the governor of the State of Montana. It 
has the support of both United States Senators, Democrat and 
Republican. It has the support of county commissioners in Broadwater 
and Lewis and Clark County, Democrats and Republicans. It has the 
support of the administration. It has the support of sportsman groups, 
and it has the support of local conservation groups.
  On October 10, the Executive Office of the President wrote to Senator 
Baucus saying, ``I am writing to express the Administration's support 
for the substitute amendment to . . . the Montana Fish and Wildlife 
conservation act.'' It goes on to say that this bill would create ``a 
unique opportunity to exchange lands at Canyon Ferry Reservoir for 
other lands in the State to conserve fish and wildlife, enhance public 
hunting, fishing, and recreation opportunities, and improve public 
access to public lands.''
  It is important for my colleagues to understand that this is 
basically a land exchange bill. The proceeds from the sale of these 
lots will be put into a trust fund, and this trust fund will be used 
for the purposes of acquiring other lands in this area or other 
conservation efforts in those areas.
  I want my colleagues to understand that this area on the Missouri 
River from Three Forks to Holter Dam is an area that is prime trout 
habitat. In fact, the watershed there is a watershed that supports 
critical cutthroat habitat, and the funds from the sale of these lots 
will be used for the purposes of conserving that habitat which is 
extremely critical. As we all know, the cutthroat has been proposed as 
a threatened species. It will also be used to accomplish other 
conservation efforts to acquire other access to the river and to the 
reservoir and it will also be used to secure other lands.
  Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that the trustees over this 
trust fund will be appointed by the Secretary of the Interior, so the 
Secretary will approve whoever serves on this trust fund, and the trust 
fund itself will be protected. Only the income from the trust fund can 
be used, so it will be a permanent trust fund to help secure important 
habitat and to provide access.
  Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from California (Mr. Miller) has pointed 
out that there is some controversy, or was some controversy, over the 
method of selling the lots. Substantially, those were changed at the 
request of the administration so that it is clear now these lots will 
be valued using existing law for the purposes of determining the 
appraisal and for the purposes of bidding.
  It is important for Members to understand that these lots can only be 
sold at or above fair market value, which will be determined by an 
independent appraisal process. It is true that cabin owners will have 
the option to buy those lots, a last refusal right, but it is important 
for my colleagues to understand that that is necessary because 
currently the leases go to the year 2008, and there are improvements on 
these lots that have to be accommodated somehow in the transaction.
  I would just urge my colleagues to look at the fact that the 
administration supports this; Democrats and Republicans that are local 
and here in Washington support it; it has the support of landowners and 
conservation groups and sportsman groups. I think that that in and of 
itself indicates this is a consensus approach to resolving a long-
standing problem.
  Mr. Speaker, with that I urge all of my colleagues to support the 
bill.
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gillmor). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) that the House suspend 
the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3963, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the 
ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a 
quorum is not present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5, rule I, and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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